Integrating stormwater green infrastructure as a reparative strategy in Puerto Rico : a GIS-based assessment

Abstract

Urban spaces and their capacity to absorb and retain stormwater are increasingly compromised by anthropogenic land use change, which progressively replaces permeable, vegetated surfaces with impervious cover. In tropical regions such as Puerto Rico, this loss of natural infiltration capacity is compounded by high-intensity rainfall patterns, intensified by climate change, that rapidly generate surface runoff and expose urban communities to chronic flooding. This study investigates which green infrastructure typologies are most appropriate for stormwater management in urban environments and what factors must be considered when selecting and spatially locating them at the community scale. Focusing on the Juan Méndez Creek corridor within the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a GIS-based visual overlay analysis integrating land use, hydrological, terrain, and ecosystem service criteria was conducted to identify candidate sites, incorporating sociodemographic vulnerability to ensure equity-informed recommendations. Results identify four residential clusters, five street segments, three small park spaces, and a government agency parcel comprising 14 rooftops as priority intervention sites, with rainwater harvesting, green streets, urban forestry, and green roofs as the most contextually appropriate typologies. Site-level hydrological modeling confirmed rainwater harvesting as the highest performing typology, while also providing resilience against drought and potable water supply instability. The findings demonstrate that effective green infrastructure planning in Puerto Rico requires the integration of hydrological and sociodemographic data, alignment with site-specific conditions, and a reparative rather than reactive framing that prioritizes long-term flood resilience in vulnerable urban spaces.